Known as the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan, the Obama administration’s proposal will protect 4.2 million acres of wild and vulnerable public land while setting aside specific areas for clean energy development.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) recently asked President Obama to protect Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and the Castle Mountains as national monuments in the California Desert, using presidential powers under the Antiquities Act.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), would add federally owned land in six iconic locations to the California Coastal National Monument - first established in 2000 and previously expanded by President Barack Obama in 2014.

California’s vast and magnificent deserts are home to iconic wildlife, incredible outdoor recreation opportunities and stunning scenic landscapes, as well as some of the nation’s best renewable energy resources.

The Bureau of Land Management in California has taken a great step forward with its decision to protect a special part of the desert by denying an application for a large-scale solar project in the remote Silurian Valley.